(InvestigateTV) — A top-secret unit of artists and actors who fought with inflatable tanks during World War II was kept secret for years.
In this episode of InvestigateTV+, we examine:
The incredible, long-classified story of the Ghost Army, a secret WWII unit that used inflatable tanks and sound effects to deceive the Nazis and save an estimated 30,000 lives.
A beloved gymnastics coach, diagnosed with ALS, continues to inspire his young athletes, proving that his impact goes far beyond his physical abilities.
A new, FDA-approved gene therapy is offering a cure for sickle cell disease, a debilitating condition that has affected generations, and we follow the journey of one of the first patients to receive it.
At Mitten Misfits Farm Sanctuary, nearly 100 unwanted and special-needs farm animals have found a forever home, thanks to the dedication of one woman and her army of volunteers.
‘Ghost’ Stories of WWII: How a secret Army unit used tactical deception to save thousands of lives
Of all the tales of heroism to emerge from the battlefields of World War II, one of the most remarkable remained a closely guarded secret for over 50 years.
A special U.S. Army unit saved an estimated 30,000 lives, not with bullets and bombs, but with inflatable tanks, sound effects, and sheer creative ingenuity.
They were ‘The Ghost Army,’ a top-secret tactical deception unit whose mission was so classified that most of its members took their incredible story to the grave.
Now, decades after their service, the story of these unsung heroes is finally being told, revealing a chapter of the war that was fought with imagination as much as with firepower.
Former college gymnast with ALS continues to coach, inspires others
There’s no amount of training, or strength, or padding, to soften certain blows life has in store. A former Arizona State University gymnast is facing a twist he never saw coming.
“It’s the worst news you could ever hear,” says Rob Survick. “I wish I had cancer instead. That’s how crazy a diagnosis it is. You really mourn your own death kind of, at the beginning of it.”
Survick was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2020. The Valley gymnastics coach says that with the encouragement of those around him, he decided to get back to living life. And most of his life has been spent at Aspire Kids Sports Center in Chandler.
“He just says, ‘I got to get in,’” says Aspire owner and head coach of the Arizona State University men’s club gymnastics team, Scott Barclay. “‘Every day, I got to get in, I’m going to be there.’”
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New gene therapy now administered as Sickle Cell Anemia treatment in St. Louis Children’s Hospital
A gene therapy recently approved by the FDA to treat patients with Sickle Cell Anemia is now being administered in St. Louis.
In 2023, the FDA approved Lyfgenia, developed by Bluebird Bio, a biotech company specializing in the development of gene therapies for severe genetic disorders. The process involves extracting a patient’s stem cells, genetically modifying them to carry a healthy hemoglobin gene and reinfusing them into the patient following chemotherapy.
According to the CDC, nearly 100,000 Americans have Sickle Cell Anemia, or 1 in every 265 African American births. People with the disease have red blood cells that are abnormally shaped, causing them to clot and blocking the blood supply. Often, the blockages can lead to organ damage and eventual failure, along with debilitating pain. The average life expectancy for someone living with the disease is roughly 40 years.
Martin Mwita Jr., 20, is from Nebraska and traveled to St. Louis with his mother when his physician team alerted him to the new gene therapy being offered at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
“My mom and I, for years actually, have been looking for, like is there any way out of this,” he said. “It’s been 20 years of blood exchanges, doctor’s appointments and missing out on doing what normal kids do, often because you just don’t know when the pain crisis will pop up.”
How this Michigan farm became a ‘Misfits Sanctuary’
On a farm in rural Eaton County, it’s actually a term of endearment, thanks to a woman who has cultivated a special way of caring for animals in need of a forever home. Victoria Worthy has turned 28 acres just west of Lansing into a place that caters to displaced farm animals. There are goats, sheep, a horse named Timmy who shares a pen with a mini donkey named Lexi-Lou.
They all have one thing in common — they’re all misfits, and this is their forever home: Mitten Misfits Farm Sanctuary.
Every animal that lives here has a different story. For Scarlet the pig, it’s a story of survival. She escaped from the back of a truck heading to the slaughterhouse.
“And the woman called and she said, ‘Vic, is there any way you can take her? This pig fought for her life,’” Worthy recalled.
The answer was yes, because Victoria Worthy has devoted her life to rescuing farm animals.
Worthy says once animals arrive at Mitten Misfits, they aren’t adopted out or used for food. She says her hunger for helping animals in need began in the late 1980s, fostering dogs.
“And somebody came and saw that we had barns and said, ‘Would you take two goats? I’m going through a divorce,’ and I said, ‘Why not?’ That’s how it started,” said Worthy.
Those two goats led to a menagerie of misfits, now nearly one hundred strong and multiplying daily.